Izabelle was the ninth of 12 children, and the 7th to be married. Soon,she realized that marriage was not what she expected. But,when she fought her parent's expectations of being a women, she was abandoned by all...but for a sister she barely remembered.

Wedding day. Izabelle couldn't sleep the night before; she was worried, scared even. She tossed and turned in the bed. She was going to be a married woman. She would never live in her house again, never lie in her bed. Everything was changing.

But she must have fallen asleep sometime in the night.

When she woke up, with a sudden urge, she sat up straight, with her brown eyes opening wide. Everything around her was the same, but it felt different. Something was different in the air.

She hesitantly climbed down her ladder. She opened the door, and Benjamin was standing, frozen, there. At thirteen years old, Benjamin was already as tall as her. But at that moment, he felt small. His blonde hair was disarrayed and his eyes were frightened with dark shadows under his eyes.

"Ben, what are you doing here?" She asked, fighting to keep back the tears in her eyes.

"I..I have..I want to…" He hugged her tightly, "I will miss you."

"I will too." Drops of tears rolled off her face. She was really going to miss him, Izabelle comforted him, "I'll visit."

Their mother walked in on this scene. She asked, "What are you doing here? Izabelle, go get dressed! It's your wedding day for God's sake. Benjamin, stop distracting your sister. Your breakfast is on the table."

Her mother directed her into the big bedroom. From the closet, she grabbed the grey dress they've bought at the thrift store. Izabelle took off her soft pyjamas and slipped on the dress. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly. It hugged all the curves and flowed below the waist. Izabelle sat on the bed while her mother untied her thick brown hair. She twisted most of her hair, pinned it, and dampened some strands which framed her hair. Then, she took a cardboard roller and pinned small strands of hair to it. Her mother brushed on some powder foundation on Izabelle's face and carefully lined her eyes. After a while, she unravelled the hair from the roller. All the strands curved in perfect spirals around her heart-shaped face.

Izabelle stared at herself in the mirror. She was stunned at how minimal hair styling and makeup could affect her appearance so much. Her mother commented, "You look very nice."

"Thank you."

Her mother opened her mouth, as if she was going to say something. But, she stopped. She smiled, and patted Izabelle on the shoulders. Izabelle bit her lips; she was not going to cry and ruin her makeup.

Every moment played like scenes from a movie in Izabelle's head as they drove to the church. She was still in disbelief. No matter how many times she told herself, "You will be married today", she still couldn't believe it. The bumpy car ride came to a halt. Her mind told her to open the car door and walk to the church. But her body won't cooperate. Her legs and arms only moved when her brother rushed, "Hurry up! We're going to be late."

It was sunny in the morning. But, by then, the clouds already pervaded the dark sky. The air was dense with moisture, filled with so much tension as if it would rain any second.

Through the fog, she made out the dark figure of the small church. The green grass under their feet was still damp from morning dews. With every step, the grass made a sharp, crunchy sound. The closer they got to the church the more details they saw. It was a traditional church- painted white with gold-coloured bell on top. They entered in the back door, and Josh was there.

He was dressed formally with a typical tuxedo and a red tie. His hair was freshly trimmed, and his facial hair was shaved. There was an unusual glow in his eyes as he gazed at Izabelle. When his stare shifted, that spark dimmed. Sounds of music drifted from the main room to them, announcing it was time for the groom to make his appearance.

He gave her an assuring smile. For what seemed like few seconds later, her dad grabbed her arms and led her to Josh. Walking down the aisle, she saw her family sitting on the benches and several family friends. She was stunned and stopped for a second when she saw Ivi. But she became aware of her surrounding after few seconds.

Izabelle's father gave Izabelle to Josh. The pastor, Josh's father, read the vows and had Josh repeat it. Then, she did the same.

He asked in his booming voice, "Would you Josh Flippant take Izabelle Pouril in health and in sickness, in good times and bad time? Do you promise to honour God with your marriage to Izabelle?"

"I do."

He repeated the question, but to Izabelle. She stared at Josh. Was she ready for this commitment? Her dad gave her a stern look, and she knew what she must do."

"I do."

Sorry for the long wait and the mistakes in the chapter. I was just really eager to publish this scene. I procrastinated so much because I thought this was a really boring scene.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.